Tour De Essex

Shall we hire a minivan or cycle?

Cycle.

Ok.

Mistake.

To get to the start for 07:45 David and I would need to meet at 06:45, which in turn meant getting up at 05:45 on a Sunday morning. Not helped by the fact that I went to bed at about 23:30 and David and I had that conversation whilst he was on a pub crawl.

On the face of it the "Tour De Essex" looked like it might be a nice little ride. We picked the 72 mile route as it is one step closer to the century Sportive than we had tried so far and only two months before the Ride London 100 team event. The website boasted:

"2014 was a unique year for the County of Essex and for all who cycle on her. The third stage of the Tour headed through many of the wonderfully road bike friendly roads that we at SportiveUK cycle on a regular basis.The Tour De Essex features a 42, 72, and 110 mile choice of routes that utilise many of the same spectacular roads as the 2014 Tour de France.

The Tour had a huge effect on this area of countryside, many roads were updated to accommodate the peloton. These immaculate surfaces will get your wheels spinning making for an impressive average speed."

On the day they had to add a couple more miles on due to roadworks. I must say that having the Garmin tour bleep as junctions approach is worth the price alone. I nearly missed a couple of turns and had one rider thank me for signalling a turn as we hurtled down a hill towards it.

I've nothing to complain about from the organisers point of view except the description of the road surfaces. I've only ridden such gravel strewn, pot holed roads on the LEJOG ride a few years back. The ride itself was relatively well thought out with 2 rest stops for food, toilets and filling of water bottles (with pre-mixed energy drink, tea, coffee and water all available). The volunteers were wonderful, cheerful folk, admittedly the first rest stop was about 35 miles in, which was tiring to get to. The scenery was stunning...

So what was it that made it hell on wheels for the five of us? 

Was it the short descents taking all of the climbing height out in a few yards? Was it the wind that knocked you back on the flats? Was it the roads surfaces which needed a careful eye? The range rovers passing closely by?

Perhaps all of these but at least this time I remembered to take lunch.

A great day was had by all... Well I enjoyed myself... even the painful bits. 24 hours later most of the pain has subsided anyway. So I had a few pints when I got back and spent the evening in compression clothing... so what?

BONT Vaypor shoes - A first look

Just before Christmas (because timing is everything) I treated myself to a new pair of shoes for cycling in. I had to stop using the basic Shimano shoes/Cleats/Pedals combo I had purchased for the LEJOG ride back in 2011 as the soles were very flexible by 2014 and had contributed to my foot injuries.

After much research I decided upon a pair of BONT shoes as they have a wide fitting last and are heat moldable. They are of course preposterously expensive for a non-pro non-racer. I measured myself using their on line fitting tool and followed the advise to go a half size up on the charts.then I hit the Internet. In December I could only find the BONT Riot at an affordable price until I hit eBay.

An eBay user was selling 2 pairs of BONT Vaypour in exactly the size I was looking for. 1 slightly scuffed looking pair in the perfect colour and a pristine looking pair in a flouro lime green. I swallowed my pride and went for the pristine pair.

In Fluorescent lime green.

To be clear I don't normally buy second hand footwear as it can already have molded to the foot shape of the original owner and be full of bacteria... However These are heated in the oven to 70C(That should kill any bacteria) and then you wear them to mold them to your own feet.

Anyway the molding process is quite simple: First remove the cleats, bolts and fittings. Then:

"Pre-heat the oven to 70C/160F. Place the shoe in the oven for 20 minutes. Higher temperatures will void your warranty and may damage your boot. Caution: Do not place your feet in the hot shoes or you may burn your feet. Let them cool a little and test the shoe temperature with your hand before placing your feet in the shoes. Tighten the straps and allow to cool. If you have any lumps or bunions on your feet or if there are any areas causing discomfort, while the shoe is hot you can use the round end of a screwdriver to press out any part of the boot. You can heat mold the shoes as many times as you like."

Followed the advice and it worked. I can feel the depression under the ball of my foot and the sole feels in contact with my foot the whole way around.

I've only ridden once with them so far so a review is a fair way off, but I'm impressed with the fit, comfort, stiffness and construction so far. A word of warning though - Check you know how to undo the ratchet system before you put them on or you will be asking your significant other to google "undo-ing BONT Shoes" before you know it.

Replacement multisport watch

With all the irony of a well timed sitcom, I had yet to get out of bed on the morning after my triathlon, when the doorbell ran for a parcel delivery. It was my replacement Bryton Cardio 60. My GPS triathlon watch

The original had failed on a sea swim in Croatia despite being rated waterproof to 50 metres and having an open water swim function. I can fault neither Rutland Cycles nor Bryton (who arranged for the replacement under warranty) as both acted promptly and didn't quibble at all. I received excellent communication throughout the process. It just took me too long to get around to taking the package to the post office in the first place. Rutland cycles also refunded my postage this morning, which I wasn't expecting.

I opened the package noting that the box seemed different inside to the previous one. Initially my heart sank as I couldn't see the HRM strap or pod. I then noticed a compartment down the inside edge of the package. Inside was not only the missing strap and pod, but also the bike speed and cadence sensor, screen protector and bike mount. I had been sent the upgraded package. Result. Thank you very much.

This is remarkably handy because my bike sensor broke recently. My next adventure is likely to be another overnight ride and it'd be great not to need to unpack my phone at any point and still track the ride.

Although I only had the watch for 3 months of training I feel I could have knocked a few minutes off of my bike time if I'd known how fast/slow I was going. Who knows? Well I will from now on.

Merrel Bare Access - A short review after 2 months

Over Christmas I tried on a pair of Merrel barefoot Road Glove shoes and whilst I liked the tread and the fit, I already had a pair or zero drop shoes with zero cushioning. After Christmas whilst perusing the sales I came across the Bare Access shoe reduced by 50%. This is the same upper, built on the same last but with 8mm of cushioning.

During the wet winter months my usual trail section of my park run had become un-navigable and so my runs became exclusively on tarmac. The longer weekend runs were less painful on my legs as they got stronger (and perhaps in no small part to the wearing of compression socks to recover), but the balls of my feet felt it. I took the plunge and purchased the Bare Access Merrells in lemon  and blue.

The first couple of runs left my left ankle sore and so I started to grow concerned that I would forever more be consigned to running in slippers. The first run had been at lunchtime whilst I was working from home and I did wonder whether the time of day had anything to do with it. I reverted to the Saucony Hattoris for a couple of runs.

I noticed in the Hattoris that I was heavier on my feet after just a couple of runs in the slightly more padded trainers. I tried the Bare Access again. They were narrower and slightly stiffer under the arch than  the Hattoris and I had reverted to a flat footed strike that bordered on heel-strike at times.

With careful attention to my running gait and lowering the angle of my forefoot strike I was able to compensate for the additional stiffness and be as light on my feet as in the Hattoris. I vary what I wear now and use the Bare Access for the more roady runs. In fact as they grip better in the wet and on downhill runs I am wearing them more and more. I just need to not  lose sight of how I was able to run again. Light. Easy. Fast will come.

Bryton Cardio 60 Review - Part one: Unboxing

Finally after a couple of false starts trying to purchase a Garmin 310xt that left me £150 down for a fortnight (Gee thanks Amazon) and one returned order I have settled on the Bryton Cardio 60 GPS Multisport watch. There were several reasons for the choice. In an ideal world I fancied the Suunto Ambit 2 or the Garmin Ambit2. I also wanted a bike GPS, wetsuit, new wheels... etc... you get the picture.

Deciding factors were:

1. Rutland cycles had the unit with the HRM on sale for £119 (about half the RRP)
2. DC Rainmaker had an OK and fairly in depth review
3. It looks ok
4. Vibrating alerts for laps/targets/time etc
5. Multisport

So I picked it up from the post office on Green Lanes which was an experience in itself as I was the only person in their not conducting a week's worth of business at 9 in the morning. Hard though it was I made myself wait until I got home to take it out and have a play.

The box itself isn't as classy as the TomTom and a little less pro looking than the Garmin boxes.

In the box is the unit, a USB charger, HRM and strap, 2 instruction booklets (One with 12 pages of English instructions) and three copies of the warranty.

The Bryton Cardio 60 (With printed screen protector still on)

HRM and strap

USB Charging clip

Wrist shot (I have relatively large wrists)

The unit is surprisingly light and a little flimsy feeling. I am not massively concerned although the waterproof rating is only 30m. It is comfy on the wrist, does not feel particularly big, and the strap locks quite nicely to the strap loop.

I had already signed up for a Brytonsport.com account so I just needed to download the agent and update the software on the watch.

The site is pretty basic, but it appears to be ideal for an amateur like me. I'm going to customise the screens after using it a few times and see how it goes.

***Update***

I tested it this morning on a gentle run and uploaded the info to the bryton site. The info is easier to read and analyse than it had been using the Runmeter app. It also appears to be more accurate (I'll need to test consistency) compared to googlemaps. When I mapped out a route on googlemaps then ran it on runmeter I'd frequently come up a lot shorter than the plan would suggest. I came in at 5.95km on a suggested 6km route but I started recording after I'd crossed the road, so I probably lost 20m. Not too shabby so far.

A main motivator for getting something like this for a race as complex (technically) as a triathlon is that I need to be training to complete each section as fresh as possible, which requires me to monitor my heart rate and pace. Difficult without kit.I entered my current times into a calculator online (at running free) and it reckoned I'd be all done in 03:09:55. Well we'll see.

Distance	Swim	T1	Bike	T2	Run	Total Time
SuperSprint 400/10/2.5	7:30	3:00	20:17	5:00	15:06	50:53
Sprint 750/20/5	14:20	3:00	42:00	5:00	31:30	1:35:50
Olympic 1500/40/10	29:17	3:00	1:26:57	5:00	1:05:40	3:09:55
O2 2000/80/20	59:48	3:00	3:00:03	5:00	2:16:55	6:24:47
Half IM 1900/90/HM	37:21	3:00	3:23:45	5:00	2:24:55	6:34:02
O3 4000/120/30	1:20:25	3:00	4:35:37	5:00	3:30:27	9:34:29
IM - Expert 3800/180/FM	1:16:17	3:00	7:01:53	5:00	5:02:07	13:28:18
IM - Beginner 3800/180/FM	1:16:17	3:00	7:22:59	5:00	6:02:32	14:49:49

the joy of a brompton... first week together

I have been ill and, as a result, not training properly for the last week and a half. This is massively frustrating, but I'm determined not to cock everything up by over-training again…

I did however pick up my shiny new Brompton so I have been doing a little light cycling.

It’s funny but I was going to write a first thoughts post about the new bike, but actually they are the same thoughts I had last time I had a folder.

When you first sit on a folding bike after riding a fairly stiff and speedy road bike, then it doesn't even feel like the same activity. I am more compact and upright than a road bike with much faster steering. The ride is harder at the front and softer at the back and the marathons (Swalbe Marathon tyres) slow things down.

However I am enjoying cycling for transport and fun.

I have got the gears set at +8% on a stock bike so there is still a physical challenge and who knows, maybe riding around in my everyday clothes on a tiny bike might just end up keeping my bike fitness up a bit over the winter.

A first look review (of sorts) of the Suacony Hattori

Around this time last year I first attempted to run in what is commonly referred to as the “barefoot style.” I had had a minor case of Plantar Fasciitis over the summer and had been told by a physio that I needed expensive orthotics and to stop running. I had flat arches and inflamed Fascia in the sole of my feet. I did a bit of reading online and thought I knew better. After a month of wearing no shoes or socks at home and vivo barefoot shoes when I had to leave the house, my arches were back and I was down half a shoe size. Added to this my toes started looking like they were the right length in relation to each other.

I tried a couch to 5K programme that I found online and proceeded to throw myself into it wholeheartedly.

3 weeks in I could barely walk. I had an overuse injury to the ankle and I was out of action with a Darth Vader boot for a while. I had neglected technique. After running in the correct style I went out in my old Saucony shoes and ran with a heel strike. Then did the same in my minimal shoes. Insufficient rest periods as I acclimatised and twisting my ankle all played their part.

My confidence was in tatters as I only regained my freedom from crutches just before we went to India (immediately prior to my 40^th birthday.) I was worried I’d done myself that nagging injury that would dog me for life.

Once I had stopped being a drama queen and had completed three months of physio I could walk on it as normal, but I didn’t trust my ankle for sport or even hiking.

Watching the Olympics, and to a greater degree the Paralympics, made me realise that what separated me from the Olympic athletes was dedication, confidence and determination.

I am now running twice a week (let my body adjust) in Saucony Hattori minimal shoes. With a simple short stride, forefoot strike. Light and easy. I’d love to review them but I’ve not worn another pair of “barefoot” road running shoes so I’ll save that for when my next pair arrive.

First impressions from a month of use…

Very lightweight (There is nothing to them);

Difficult to get on in hurry (Separate and loosen as wide as possible then put them on);

Minimal cushioning, very soft sole (I have picked up big splinters and thorns in the sole of these);

Comfier on tarmac than grass (they feel less direct on grass or trail because the damping is added to the damping of the grass making them vague underfoot);

Alright for now.

Kit reviews from my LEJOG ride

 Kona Honky Tonk 2009 model

As an overall package this is fantastic all round bike. It held up without any real problems through rough road, high speed riding, light off road riding, hill climbing and riding in torrential rain on flooded roads. The gearing is a little high, and I found myself envious of Dan’s Charge Juicer with 3 front rings and mudguards, on a number of occasions. As complaints go that’s not really much is it. The bar tape and seat feel cheap, but do you know what, they work and are comfortable and hardwearing. I only needed to change the pedals and mount extras (pump, cages, saddlebag) to turn this into a proper lightweight tourer.

Shutt VR – Merino Cycling Jersey

I ended up wearing this for about 12 of the 17 days we were out. In the rain it kept me warm, in the sun it kept me cool. I had a backpack’s worth of stuff in the pockets, yet it still kept it’s shape. Mine was a gift from Shutt (we asked for kit and they kindly gave us a selection of samples as they were between seasons) and would have cost the same as my other shirts put together...however... In the end I could have managed with just this and a long sleeved top.

Bontrager Hard Case All Weather tyres 700x28

I pulled six shards of glass out of these the day before we left, numerous stones and thorns on the trip and not one puncture. Quite a hard ride but I had as much grip as I could ever expect in all conditions, on and off road. 1400 miles without a puncture. Enough said

Bontrager Classic Caps

A black technical one to wick the sweat from my head and keep the sun out of my eyes. A white merino one to keep my head warm in the rain. Both worked a treat. My trip would have been less comfortable by far without these.

Shimano – Sora Drive train, Pedals, Shoes

The only components I had problems with were all Shimano. The rear derailleur bent and the cleats in my right shoe broke when the pedal release mechanism seized. All fixable, nothing permanently broken. I was very unhappy at the time, but this is all entry level kit asked to do a 1,000 mile tour. Things break

B-twin bib shorts

£29.99 and the reason I still have a working bottom. A head and shoulders above the other shorts at this price, and the cheapest bibs I found.